Got gout?
If this is your first experience with gout, you will never forget it. The pain is excruciating and can bring an adult male to his knees in pain. Even the weight of a sheet on a gout-inflamed joint can be indescribably painful.
What is gout?
Scientifically speaking, gout is a congenital (present at birth) disorder of uric acid metabolism. Uric acid is an organic compound of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen.
Simply speaking, gout is a build-up of uric acid crystals that are deposited on joint cartilage, causing pain and inflammation.
Gout is an arthritic condition that affects 5% of all arthritis conditions.
What are the symptoms of gout?
Gout is typically described as burning, excruciating, sudden, and unexpected pain, accompanied by redness, stiffness, swelling, and warmness in the affected joint. The patient may also experience a low-grade fever.
Where does gout attack?
Gout can attack any joint, such as the ankle, elbow, fingers, heel, instep, knee, spine, or spine; however, gout attacks the big toe about 75% of the time.
What are the 10 diet tips to help you avoid gout attacks?
1. Eliminate all purine foods from your diet. Foods that are high in purines include:
- alcoholic beverages
- beef kidneys
- consommé
- fish
- game meats
- gravy
- herring
- mackerel
- mussels
- organ meat (kidney, liver, sweetbread)
- roe
- sardines
- scallops
- shellfish
- smelt
- yeast
Foods moderately-high in purines include:
- anchovies
- asparagus
- bacon
- beef
- cauliflower
- chicken
- duck
- goose
- grouse
- haddock
- ham
- kidney beans
- lentils
- lima beans
- mushrooms
- mutton
- oatmeal
- partridge
- peas
- pheasant
- pork
- poultry
- salmon
- soy
- spinach
- tripe
- trout
- turkey
- veal
- wheat bran
- wheat germ
2. Eat foods that can lower uric acid levels and reduce inflammation. They include:
- bananas
- blueberries
- bread
- cabbage
- carbonated drinks
- celery
- cereal
- cherries
- chocolate
- cocoa
- coffee
- dark berries
- flaxseed oil
- fruit juices with purified water
- green-leafy vegetables
- kale
- low-fat dairy foods
- mandarins
- olive oil
- oranges
- nuts
- parsley
- pasta
- pineapple
- red-blue berries
- red bell peppers
- red cabbage
- rice
- salmon
- seeds
- strawberries
- tangerines
- tea
- tofu made from soybeans
- tomatoes
- tuna
3. Eat a balanced, daily diet that includes high-complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, whole grains), low-protein foods, and no more than 30% fat calories.
4. Avoid severe diets that promise quick weight loss because these diets actually increase uric acid levels in the body.
5. Avoid fasting because it increases uric acid levels in the body.
6. People with kidney stones that are caused from uric acid crystals should completely eliminate purine foods from their diet.
7. Drink coffee and tea. Contrary to popular belief, they do not promote gout episodes.
8. Drink 10-12 eight-ounces of fluids (non-alcoholic) a day.
9. Maintain proper body weight is recommended for individuals who suffer with gout.
10. Don’t smoke. Because it contains thousands of chemical proponents, tobacco can restrict the blood vessels and thereby restrict circulation.
Gout doesn’t have to be a part of your everyday life. You can live without gout and its pain. Follow these simple 10 diet tips to help you avoid gout attacks and live free from gout and pain.
